Belmopan 2 August 2008 - (Belizean.com) - Miss Charmaine Chinapen has been selected as the new Belize 2008 and will represent her country at the Miss World Pageant in the Ukraine next year.
The new Miss Belize was crowned
by the second runner up, Iris Jessie Medina, after Tanisha Vernon, Miss Belize
2007-2008, was stripped of her crown earlier this year. She competed against
five other Belizean ladies, chosen from among eleven applicants for the
position.
Chinapen is no stranger to the stage, as she has been modeling for
print ads in the U.S.A. for Pantene Pro-V. She is currently majoring
in chemistry at St. John's University in New York and is studying to be a neurosurgeon.
She also plays the piano.
Chinapen said that she believes
the competition was fair and was made to understand that this is the way it is
normally held in other countries. She adds that it is indeed a very great
feeling to be Miss Belize, and having always been patriotic, she can now
represent Belize on an international level. She intends to do her best to make
Belize shine in the Miss World pageant, said Chinapen.
Jessie was originally born in El Salvador, grew up in Guatemala and
came to Belize at age 13 and became a Belizean. She speaks English and
Spanish fluently, works at the Corozal Free Zone as the Assistant
Manager of the Corozal Free Zone Development Company.
Jessie's dream is
to own and manage a chain of fine restaurants that specialize in Latin
and Belizean cuisines in keys tourism areas of Belize. She enjoys
dancing, cooking, working out, Supa G music, photography and modeling. Jessie is no newcomer to pageants. She was Señorita Jaripeo in El
Salvador, second runner-up in the Miss Pan-American Pageant in Orange
Walk, and was Señorita Traje de Baño in Orange Walk.
Jessie has also
represented Belize in the Miss PJD2 annual Caribbean Pageant recently
held in the island of St. Maarten with 30 other delegates in March
2008, and is now competing for Belize through Pageants Belize in the
Dominican Republic at the Miss America Latina Pageant along with over
27 delegates. The Miss America Latina finals will be held on June 28th
and Pageants Belize wishes her the very best.
7 August 2008 - Belizean.com - Guatemalan coach Palmiro Salas says he will take the Football Federation of Belize and its president Bertie Chimillo to court for Bz $26,000. that he claims is owned to him. In March the Football Federation fired national team coach Palmiro Salas after questions arose about his immigration status. 
